It’s only appropriate Amy Quinones recently attended a leadership camp—as a returning senior, league champion and captain for the San Benito High girls’ cross-country team, she’ll be looked upon to provide guidance for the 2015 season.
Coach Josh Morales is no longer with the team, and as of the start of this week, Quinones—the team’s best runner—had only heard murmurs that a new coach was going to be named soon.
The leadership role suits Quinones just fine, an unthinkable concept just a few years ago.
“I don’t have a problem speaking up now,” said Quinones, who took first place in last year’s Monterey Bay League Championships before finishing 20th in the Division I race of the Central Coast Section Championships. “I’ve gotten out of my shell and can express my feelings to anyone. I know it’ll be important before every race to try to pump up all the girls and to keep them mentally positive so they can make it through every race. I know this year being a leader is a big deal because we’ll have a new coach, and I’ll have to help that person out while letting him or her bring in new ideas.”
San Benito consistently fields a solid program, and this year should be no different. In addition to Quinones, the Haybalers return junior Katherine Monteon and senior Gabriella Alvarez. Monteon finished in seventh place in last year’s MBL Championships and Alvarez 15th.
Quinones’ PR at Toro Park—site of this year’s CCS Championships—is 19 minutes, 18 seconds, but she’s looking to dramatically drop that time by the end of the season.
“I’m trying to get my times to the low 18s or high 17s,” she said. “I would definitely like to start the new year with a PR.”
Monteon hit her PR of 20:37.90 at Toro Park at last year’s league championships, and Alvarez’s best of 20:46 was set at the Chieftain-Spirit Invitational in the second meet of the 2013 season.
Both runners have lowered their times by over two minutes since their freshman year, and if they keep on improving, the Balers should be in solid shape to repeat as MBL champions.
The Balers also return senior Anjelica Collins, who finished 18th in last year’s league championships. Quinones expects good things out of sophomore Brianna Martin, who finished second in the junior varsity MBL Championships last year.
Another sophomore, Enedina Canales, is expected to be in the running for the No. 6 position. Canales finished fifth in the junior varsity league championships last year in a time of 23:06.
It’ll be up to Quinones to elevate the level of her teammates’ abilities and determination, and she’s more confident than ever she’s equipped to be a leader.
Quinones attended a five-day California Association of Student Councils camp at UC Santa Barbara in the last week of July. The attendees—all high school students—had a busy schedule to go along with a set curfew time, which didn’t allow Quinones much time to run.
Quinones found a way to get in some workouts, running up and down the stairs of the eight-floor dormitory she was staying in. After another strong season on the track—Quinones finished 10th in the 1,600–meter run at the CCS Championships in the last week of May—she took some time off before before getting back into the swing of things.
By the end of July, she was running five to seven miles a day, five times a week.
Her typical week consisted of hill workouts, speedwork/intervals and easy runs, the can’t miss formula for running success. Healthy, durable and strong, Quinones has grown as a runner and person.
“There are so many people who tell me that when I first met them, I’d be the quietest person ever,” she said. “It’s rewarding to see how far I’ve come and how much I still can grow.”
